Perestroika

Perestroika was the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system that was implemented from 1985 to 1989 under Communist Party of the Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev wanted for socialism to work more efficiently, so that it could meet the needs of Soviet citizens; the program went against Marxism-Leninism, as the privatization of key industries was a major step towards capitalism. Nationalism increased in the USSR as a result of perestroika, as many nationalists decided to exploit the weakened Soviet economy to press their demands, while hardline communist officials in the Soviet republics opposed Moscow's liberalizing reforms. His policies would ultimately lead to the economic collapse of the USSR, the loss of Soviet industries to Western corporations, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.